Until recently he was most famous for being Kate Moss's druggie boyfriend.

But now Pete Doherty seems to have come out of her shadow with a sensational £1 million record deal with Parlophone. The Lite can exclusively reveal that his band Babyshambles signed a three-album deal yesterday.

This marks a dramatic turnaround for Pete, 27, who has given little more than chaotic glimpses of his potential as a recording star.

Last night he celebrated with a watershed show in Whitechapel, where, for the first time in ages, he earned rave reviews - and even appeared onstage on time.

The show followed an appearance at Thames Magistrates' Court earlier in the day, where Doherty was praised by a judge for his progress in beating drug addiction. Parlophone, which is owned by EMI, licensed the band's The Blinding EP in August and was biding its time before offering a longer-term deal.

A source close to the band said: "Parlophone hasn't even mentioned Pete's drug taking. There are no lifestyle clauses in the contract, so it hasn't put any extra pressure on Pete to give up drugs.

"Parlophone realised Pete has a loyal fanbase and the band were receiving lots of attention. There was a bidding war between several labels. Pete is delighted - The Beatles were with Parlophone - which means a lot to him." But the label has a get-out clause. The source added: "They could pull the plug at any moment."

Fans may be relieved to hear Pete isn't fully reformed. He may have called it a night just after midnight yesterday during Kate's epic 33rd birthday celebrations - but by that time he had to be virtually carried out of the Dorchester.